August

In 1801 the Sikh Kingdom of Lahore was established in what was then the Punjab region of northern India. Its founding ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh became a major patron of the arts. Artisans and craftsmen were also supported from around the mid-18th century by the Sikh rulers and nobility of other Independent kingdoms (also known as Princely States) located outside Ranjit's domains. This patronage gave rise to a tradition of Sikh miniature painting that focused largely on portraiture and secular themes.

At the same time, the breathtaking beauty of historic Sikh shrines such as Harmandir Sahib and Baba Atal (situated in the city of Amritsar - the spiritual centre of the Sikhs) which Ranjit Singh had embellished with gold panelling, frescos and marble inlay work, pay testimony to the flourishing of diverse art-forms under Sikh rule. Despite evidence to the contrary Sikhs are often perceived and portrayed as being uncultured and void of any artistic heritage of their own. It's a stereotype perpetrated by media comedy sketches and jokes such as the one we recall hearing as a child, claiming that the only culture Sikhs posses is agriculture.

In 1990 we embarked on a University postgraduate course in Religion and the Arts and made it our mission to prove the stereotype wrong. As part of the course we spent a year in India researching the whole spectrum of Sikh art from the earliest manuscript traditions, frescos and miniature paintings, to the modern era of mass produced 'calendar' prints and contemporary art. Essential to this research was the encouragement and financial support that our father gave us. His support had a long lasting impact on our artistic career as this period in our lives laid the foundations for what would become a ongoing interest in Sikh art.

It inspired us to create the first in a series of paintings that sought not only to revive the art of illustrated Sikh manuscripts but to extend that tradition by combining both established (historical) and modern iconography. It was during that time that we also started to collect original prints and other illustrated printed material pertaining to the Sikhs - building a personal archive which we continue to draw upon in our work as artists, film makers and writers. One such artwork (a depiction Maharaja Ranjit Singh) is featured below D A Y S O F O B S E R VA N C E S